Hippobosca longipennis
Encyclopedia
Hippobosca longipennis (Diptera
: Hippoboscidae
), the dog fly, louse fly, or blind fly, is an obligate
blood-feeding parasite of wild carnivores. Its bites can be painful and result in skin irritation, it is an intermediate host for the canine
and hyaenid filarial parasite Dipetalonema dracunculoides, and it may also be a biological or mechanical vector for other pathogen
s.
Region south of about 45º north latitude, and is occasionally reported from countries on the fringes of this range, including Ireland, Germany, Poland, Japan, and Taiwan. It has been transported into North America
on several occasions with zoo animals.
Diptera
Diptera , or true flies, is the order of insects possessing only a single pair of wings on the mesothorax; the metathorax bears a pair of drumstick like structures called the halteres, the remnants of the hind wings. It is a large order, containing an estimated 240,000 species, although under half...
: Hippoboscidae
Hippoboscidae
Hippoboscidae, the louse flies or keds are obligate parasites of mammals and birds. In this family there are winged species which can fly at least reasonably well, as well as others with vestigial or no wings which are flightless and highly apomorphic...
), the dog fly, louse fly, or blind fly, is an obligate
Obligate
Obligate means "by necessity" and is used mainly in biology in phrases such as:* Obligate aerobe, an organism that cannot survive without oxygen* Obligate anaerobe, an organism that cannot survive in the presence of oxygen...
blood-feeding parasite of wild carnivores. Its bites can be painful and result in skin irritation, it is an intermediate host for the canine
Canine
Canine may refer to:* Domestic dog* Animals belonging to the family Canidae, or the sub-family Caninae* Canine tooth* Ralph Canine, American soldier and government administrator* A character in Glenn Martin, DDS...
and hyaenid filarial parasite Dipetalonema dracunculoides, and it may also be a biological or mechanical vector for other pathogen
Pathogen
A pathogen gignomai "I give birth to") or infectious agent — colloquially, a germ — is a microbe or microorganism such as a virus, bacterium, prion, or fungus that causes disease in its animal or plant host...
s.
Distribution
The species is found in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, including China, in suitable habitats throughout the PalearcticPalearctic
The Palearctic or Palaearctic is one of the eight ecozones dividing the Earth's surface.Physically, the Palearctic is the largest ecozone...
Region south of about 45º north latitude, and is occasionally reported from countries on the fringes of this range, including Ireland, Germany, Poland, Japan, and Taiwan. It has been transported into North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
on several occasions with zoo animals.